“To thrive is something we all need to do,” says drummer Mark Miller. “That alone is our motivation.”

Born in the watering holes of Oakland, CA, NEGATIVE SIXXX offers no-holds-barred metal, and “Thrive,” the first single from their upcoming sophomore release, shows the band at its best, perfectly blending heaviness and melody.

For its accompanying video, the band collectively created a simple concept, then turned the idea over to director Dave Perga. “Dave took the simple idea and warped and twisted it into something special,” says guitarist Chris Van De Ven. “I believe the only way to move forward in this industry is to come out swinging, and we really did with this song and video.”

As friends and local scene veterans, vocalist Sid Frankosky and guitarists Chris Van De Ven and Rick Chaves often put down a few beers together and talked about starting a new band, but it wasn’t until seeing drummer Brian Sohler that they knew they had found the element they were looking for to create what would become NEGATIVE SIXXX. Add bassist Rawn Wadley, fast forward a few months, and this band’s live maiden voyage was opening a sold-out show for Flynn and Phil Demmel’s classic thrash band Vio-lence.